Madrid, May 22: David Beckham's season with Real Madrid, which began with such a fanfare, has ended in a dispiriting defeat and a sending-off that symbolises his team's miserable campaign.
Beckham's red card for insulting a linesman -- in perfect Spanish -- during Real Madrid's 2-1 loss on Sunday to already relegated Murcia means he misses the last game of the season.
More importantly for Real Madrid, the team's fourth successive league defeat -- their worst run in their 102-year history – gives arch-rivals Barcelona the advantage in the race to secure runners-up spot behind champions Valencia and an automatic berth in the Champions League group phase.
If Barcelona get a point from their last match, Real Madrid are almost certain to finish third, meaning they would have to play a Champions League qualifier in mid-August.
That could force them to cancel a lucrative tour of Asia and the United States that was expected to bring in as much as 30 million euros (36 million dollar) in revenue.


Monday brought the now traditional crop of newspaper headlines lamenting the spectacular late-season implosion of one of the most high-profile squads ever assembled.


The expensive team boasts ''Galacticos'' such as Brazil's Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, France's Zinedine Zidane, Spain's Raul and Portugal's Luis Figo as well as England captain Beckham.


''Goodbye Asia'', Sports Daily as said over a front-page photo of a disconsolate Beckham trooping off the field.


''This Madrid is pure impotence'', ''Marca'' mocked.


It was Beckham's second sending-off since joining Real Madrid and the fourth of his professional career.

Bureau Report